The Kingly Contest
by Pinkie Dash Pony
Summary: When the king of Furbyland dies without an heir, the prime minister declares that brave furbys must scale the most dangerous mountain on the Furbyland Cloud. This mission is dubbed The Obstacle Course of Death. Whoever reaches the top first, becomes King.
1. Chapter 1: The Obstacle Course of Death

**Chapter 1: The Obstacle Course of Death**

Dah-Boh-Bay stared in silence at the furbys gathering around for the tournament. "What is this all about?" he asked one of the taller furbys who had put on armor. "Why are so many people here?"

Though the furby he asked ignored him, the great furbish knight, Sir Doo-Moh, did not. "Have you not heard?" he asked, turning to Dah-Boh-Bay.

"No," Dah-Boh-Bay replied. "What is it for?"

"Well," Sir Doo-Moh said. "King Loo-Loo has just died, and had no heir. Therefore, the law required us to sign up to see who would be the next king. You know, they draw a name."

Dah-Boh-Bay nodded. It was, after all, how they had gotten one of their greatest kings, Furbylolo. "But what is this tournament for?"

"The Prime Minister didn't agree with the law and altered it," Doo-Moh replied. "Now, the rule is that whoever passes The Obstacle Course of Death gets to put his name into the bucket. That way, the law is not actually being changed, just added to."

"The Obstacle Course of Death?" Dah-Boh-Bay asked with wide eyes, shaking with fear at the mere mention of the word death. (After all, Dah-Boh-Bay means very scared.)

"Yes, we devised this deadly track up a mountain. It has avalanches and cliffs and monsters on it," Doo-Moh replied. "This is to discourage all of the weaker furbys from even trying, and to hold back all of the cowards. Now, if you don't mind, I must go prepare."

As Doo-Moh walked off, Dah-Boh-Bay stared after him. A feeling had entered him, a longing to do something that he would rather not do, a longing to enter the competition. He was small, even in furby standards and was weak too. He'd never once climbed a mountain or even ventured far from his city. Shaking his head, he turned to leave, when he saw something that made his blood boil.

Sir A-tah, the meanest, greediest knight shoved through the group towards the ranks. Then his eyes fell on Dah-Boh-Bay.

"You, pathetic imbecile! Get out of here!" Sir A-tah said. "A dangerous mission is nothing for a baby like you! Go away!"

"Oh yeah," Dah-Boh-Bay snapped. "What makes you think that I cannot do it?"

"Firstly, you're just a common furby, with no training or anything, and secondly, I am entering the contest. If you tried to enter, I'd have to kill you," Sir A-tah said, laughing as he continued on his way.

"Is everyone here?" a voice spoke over a loudspeaker. Dah-Boo-Bah turned and began to walk away, when a voice called out, "Dah-Boh-Bay, what are you doing?" He turned to see his best friend, May-Lah, running towards him. "You're going to miss the contest!"

The furby on the loudspeaker began to call off names. "Sir A-tah!"

"Present," Sir A-tah replied

"Sir Doo-Mah!" the furby called.

"Present." Sir Doo-Mah replied

"I'm not goi…" Dah-Boh-Bay began.

A soldier looked at him and interrupted, "You'd better get over their boy, because they will not wait forever."

"Sir U-tye!"

"Present."

"But…" Dah-Boh-Bay began, when something happened that sent a shiver up his back.

"Sir Dah-Boh-Bay!" Dah-Boh-Bay froze and looked back. It couldn't be him they were talking about, could it? He hadn't signed up. He hadn't even known what was going on, and he wasn't a knight!

"Sir Dah-Boh-Bay!" The furby called again. Once more, there was no answer. One final time, the furby called, "Sir Dah-Boh-Bay, speak now or miss your chance!"

"Present!" Dah-Boh-Bay called, rushing forward. Shaking with nervousness, he couldn't help but think _I am so going to regret this._

Dah-Boh-Bay ran up to the lines, with A-tah and Doo-Moh staring at him in shock. The other furbys turned and looked at the small competitor with eyes of scorn, surprise or regret that such a foolish furby would be willing to do this. The man continued listing all twenty of the furbys, and then they all stared up into at the great Furby Mountain. "On your mark, get set…" The furby yelled, and a clap of thunder echoed from the cloud on which he sat. Instantly, the furbys took off.

Dah-Boh-Bay found himself behind in the very beginning, as all of the furbys sprinted off. He, on the other hand, began to climb carefully and steadily. He knew that in the long run, conserving his energy would help far more than speed.

Then he began to climb the mountain. It was a difficult trek, even for somebody like him, but he refused to turn back. He struggled over rocks that the other furbys had crossed in one bound, and walked along the narrow edges of crevices that the other furbys had merely jumped. Needless to say, by the time darkness began to fall, he was tired and far behind.

Breathing hard, he leaned down and tried to sleep. There was no way that he would arrive at any time near the other furbys. However, the rule was, whoever made it could have their name drawn. To him, it wasn't a race to show his skills. It was just a struggle for life. No matter what happened, he would not turn back.

As he tried to sleep, he heard a cry and was awoken by the sound of something hitting the ground near him. Dah-Boh-Bay opened his eyes and cried out in horror. A furby lay sprawled out before him, having fallen from a ledge up above. A shiver ran through Dah-Boh-Bay's back as a thought entered his head. Had the poor furby lost his footing and fallen, or had he been pushed? A-tah's words echoed through his mind. _If you enter, I will have to kill you._

It _was_ a struggle for survival, both against elements and each other! "Dah-Boh-Bay!" A ghostly voice called. "Sir Dah-Boh-Bay!" Dah-Boh-Bay instantly stood to his feet and watched as a ghostly furby, very much resembling the deceased king, came towards him from lower down the mountain.

Instantly, Dah-Boh-Bay took off for all he was worth from the ghost, which gave chase! "Come back!" it called. "Dah-Boh-Bay, we must speak…"

Suddenly, the ground started to shake, and Dah-Boh-Bay looked up in horror. "Avalanche!!!" he heard the cry from a furby not very far ahead. Instantly, Dah-Boh-Bay began to run towards the voice, and the ghostly figure fell back.

Rocks smashed down around Dah-Boh-Bay, and he tried to move as fast as he could, dodging behind one large rock or another, but always pressing on. Suddenly, there was another cry and a furby went flying past him, obviously being thrown by a rock. Then he plunged down into a crevice and was gone. Another five furbys came sprinting down the hill pursued by monstrous creatures that Dah-Boh-Bay had only heard of in legends, dragons. When they passed, Dah-Boh-Bay continued onward, and the avalanche had stopped.

Climbing harder he realized that he was almost half-way up. However, already seven of the twenty furbys were dead, at least. Gritting his teeth, he continued onward. He froze as he realized where the path went next, into a cave, a dragon cave. Frowning, Dah-Boh-Bay stepped back and peered up the steep mountainside. Apparently, it was time to leave the path. So, exhausted though he was, Dah-Boh-Bay began to trek up the mountainside.


	2. Chapter 2: Leaving the Trail

**Chapter 2: Leaving the Trail**

The smoothest part of the journey was over, and… Whatever Dah-Boh-Bay's thought had been, he instantly forgot it as he stared ahead. About four slams stood there, and two more dead furbys lay before them.

"So, when do we leave?" one slam whispered.

"There is still another furby back there, nitwit," the tallest one, and apparently the leader of the group, snapped. "Boss says that we are to dispose of all the furbys that we can; nine so far and one more is still back there."

_Nine!_ Dah-Boh-Bay thought in surprise and horror. Were they counting the ones who had been crushed by the avalanche and chased by the dragons? Or were those simply another six? Were there only five furbys left? Then his foot slipped, and the four furbys turned in his direction.

"There he is!" the leader cried, and the four slams charged at him. Dah-Boh-Bay cowered, covering his eyes with his ears. If he were going to die, he would rather not watch it happen.

"Yaaah!" came a cry from behind Dah-Boh-Bay, and the ghostly furby landed in front of him. "Come at me, beasts!" he ordered, and the slams obeyed. Three slams held spears, but the boss was equipped with claw weapons, just like the ghost.

The ghost did a leap through the air, as the spears came forward, and brought both his claws down upon them with all his might, before performing a midair twist and sending the spears from the slams' hands. The spears then rolled off the edge of the nearby cliff, and down to where Dah-Boh-Bay had been sleeping earlier. Then the boss let out a cry and launched himself forward.

The ghost twisted and blocked the slam's claw, before twirling and blocking again. Then he went onto the offensive and fought the slam, slowly backing him towards the edge of the cliff. Finally, a thrust hit its mark, and the slam stumbled backwards in pain. He lost his footing and plunged over the edge, grabbing the ghost as he went.

Dah-Boh-Bay instantly rushed forward, and saw the slam hit the ground. The ghost, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

Dah-Boh-Bay frowned and continued to stare downwards. Who in the world had that furby been? Why did he look and talk so much like a ghost, and where in the world had he gone? The three slams looked at him and a cruel smile crossed their faces. "Get him!"  
Dah-Boh-Bay turned and fled up the mountain, the three slams clambering after him. They came to a large crevice, and Dah-Boh-Bay jumped it. Landing on the other side, he kept right on running. The slams chased after him, determined to destroy him.

"Help!" Dah-Boh-Bay called, though he knew nobody would come. Then he did the only thing he could, he turned to fight. "Come at me, slams!" he cried. They stopped for a second in confusion. Hadn't he been running from them just a second before? Now he thought he could kill them? With a cry, Dah-Boh-Bay launched himself at the slams. Totally confused, the slams panicked and ran. Apparently, this furby was much stronger than any of them had imagined!

Dah-Boh-Bay stopped and stared at the slams in confusion as they ran. He had fully expected to die. What in the world had happened? Then another thought entered his mind, and it worried him. What could the slam leader have meant by 'Boss'? Who was this boss, and why would he care who won the contest?

Suddenly, there was a cry, and Dah-Boh-Bay rushed forward as fast as he could. He came upon something quite disturbing. A furby lay on the ground, pierced through the head by a furbish claw. There were footprints next to it that continued to go up the mountain. For a brief, crazy second, Dah-Boh-Bay considered going after the murderer and killing him before he could cause anyone else any harm.

It was the exact same feeling that he had gotten when he heard about the contest and considered entering. Somehow, the feeling seemed to be leading him, and it was not the first time that he had felt it. When he was a child, it was what had saved his life many times while he was on the streets and in the orphanage home. However, he'd always been a coward and only listened to it half of the time. Any time he did, something great seemed to happen. Well… except for the time that his feelings had told him to enter this suicidal contest with death.

Just then the cry came again, and Dah-Boh-Bay turned to see a wounded Doo-Moh, clinging to the edge of the cliff and doing his best not to plunge from the mountain and down into the sea far, far below. Then, Doo-Moh's grip slipped. Acting quickly, Dah-Boh-Bay dove forward and grabbed a hold of the knight. Then, slowly, he struggled to pull him back up. For years, he wondered how he managed to do such a thing. Doo-Moh was heavier and stronger than anything that Dah-Boh-Bay had ever managed to lift before, but somehow, he managed to get the furby back onto the mountain.

Doh-Moh looked at Dah-Boh-Bay, and his eyes widened. It was obvious that, because of all of the dirt and scratches, along with the mature look in his eyes, Doh-Moh had no idea that he was Dah-Boh-Bay. Then the knight's eyes widened and he whispered, "Dar? Baron Dar, is that you?"

"No," Dah-Boh-Bay said. "It's me, Dah-Boh-Bay, from the contest."

"Sir Dah-Boh-Bay," Doh-Moh whispered. "So, you're still alive. Listen, I must speak with you. I am going back down the mountain, but you must continue."

"_I_ must?" Dah-Boh-Bay asked. "Why?"

"If you do not go, Sir A-tah wins," Doh-Moh whispered. "He is a traitor to the furbys, joining up with the slams and everything."

"_Slams!!!!_" Dah-Boh-Bay exclaimed in surprise. "Yes, I see."

"You are the last contestant," Doh-Moh said, "and A-tah will stop at nothing to become king. You are our last hope."

"What about you?" Dah-Boh-Bay asked. "If you couldn't beat him, what makes you think that I would be able to?"

"He attacked me from behind; I had no chance. Get the jump on him, and kill him. He must not make it to the top? He must not become king of Furbyland," Doh-Moh said.

"No," Dah-Boh-Bay said. "I need to go back down. I cannot do this."

"You have to," Doh-Moh said. "This isn't a question of whether or not you think you can do something. You have to fight him, or Furbyland is lost. If you do not even try, the responsibility for its downfall will be solely yours."

"But…" Dah-Boh-Bay protested.

"Do not argue, Sir Dah-Boh-Bay," Doh-Moh said. "I can go no further. You have courage within you somewhere. You must find it!"

Dah-Boh-Bay stood silent; his mind racing. There had to be another one, but there wasn't. Sir A-tah would have to be stopped, but if he surrendered, Dah-Boh-Bay would spare him. He was no murderer. "Very well, Sir Doh-Moh," Dah-Boh-Bay said. "I will do it."


	3. Chapter 3: Baron Dar

**Chapter 3: Baron Dar**

Taking Doh-Moh's claws and putting them on, Dah-Boh-Bay raced down the pathway, following the path left in the soft mud by the traitorous Sir A-tah. The hardest part of the journey was over. The top of the mountain was not far away. Then he came to a plateau.

"So, you're the remaining furby. I must say, I expected it to be somebody far greater," Sir A-tah said, looking at him. "I'm in a good mood at the moment, so if you decided to go back down, I will spare you're life."

"It is you who needs to go back down," Dah-Boh-Bay said. "I have come to put a stop to you, once and for all!"

"What?" Sir A-tah said. "So, Baron Dar has finally found his courage. Too bad you will die before you have a chance to use it!" Then he charged forward.

_Baron Dar? _Dah-Boh-Bay thought in confusion. _What in the world does he mean by that?_ However, he did not have time to ponder it, and turned just in time to block his strike. Then they began to fight back and forth, twisting and jumping, the strange power flowing through Dah-Boh-Bay's veins. He knew that if he died, Furbyland would be destroyed.

Another thought, though, had never entered his mind. If he won, he would have to become king, move to the palace and throw off his old life. As this thought hit him, he hesitated and Sir A-tah struck. Crying out in pain, Dah-Boh-Bay stumbled backwards.

"It was me, boy," Sir A-tah spat with pleasure. "Your father was in the way. Everyone was in the way. King Loo-Loo was a light-hearted king who never used his kingdom for what it ought to have been used for. Your parents were far too much like him, and so, they became friends. It was at that time that I realized I needed to take matters into my own hands.

"I killed Baron Unye and your mother. Unfortunately, the baby was rescued. By the time I killed the man, I do not know what had happened to the child. I waited for the opportune moment, always nervous that you would learn the truth. The king finally began to trust me, and I grew in importance. Me and Doh-Moh became rivals, and I gained greater skill then I had ever dreamed of. When the time was right, I poisoned the king.

"I used my influence to create this, and Doh-Moh thought it would be an amazing idea. Only the strongest would have a chance at becoming king, but I think that, honestly, he saw it as a way to raise his chances. He thought he could make a good king, and he was probably right. However, he had no idea of my true intentions. Now, after all this time, you are the last furby who will ever stand in my way, Baron Dar. You will die by my hand, as your father did before you!"

"Noooo!" Dah-Boh-Bay cried out and hurled himself with all his might at A-tah. The clashing grew more intense, and because he was fueled by anger, he fought harder than ever. His claws tore through A-tah's ear and he cried out in anger. Then he turned and rolled back, just as an explosion hit where Dah-Boh-Bay had been standing.

He was thrown backwards and hit the ground, pain filling him. He struggled to get to his feet, but found that he could not. "Goodbye, Baron Dar!" Then the claw came.

"BOOM!" A-tah was thrown backwards with such force that he couldn't stop himself and went tumbling off the mountain. Dah-Boh-Bay would have gone too, if the ghost furby had not caught him.

"Come, my king," he said. "Just a little farther." With the help of the ghost furby, Dah-Boh-Bay reached the top of the mountain, only about several feet up.

The Chief Minister stood there, and greeted Dah-Boh-Bay hastily. "Come, boy!" he said. "The mountain is breaking off from the cloud! We have to get off!"

"What about Doh-Moh?" Dah-Boh-Bay asked nervously. "He was heading down towards the bottom. I have to go get him!"

Snatching a beanie cap, he began to rush down the mountain. Places caved in, and the small places that he had traveled over crevices disappeared. Determined, however, Dah-Boh-Bay managed to reach Doh-Moh, who lay unconscious. Just then, the ground under Doh-Moh collapsed, and he plunged towards the ocean.

_Not now, mountain! _Dah-Boh-Bay thought. _You will not kill him!_ Then he jumped off the cloud. It was the bravest thing he had ever done before. He grabbed onto Sir Doh-Moh and attempted to start his beanie cap, but it failed. The ocean came ever closer and closer, as he tried again. Nothing. With one last effort, Dah-Boh-Bay hit the beanie-cap. Then it started, barely above the ocean. Sighing with relief, Dah-Boh-Bay headed back up into the sky.

"Amazing!" the chief minister said, after he had been told the entire story. "You, my boy, are a hero!"

Dah-Boh-Bay nodded and asked, "I suppose this means that I am king?"

"Yes," The Chief Minister said. "You and Doh-Moh are the only survivors. Thus, since only you made it up. You are the winner."

"Dah-Boh-Bay!" May-Lah cried, rushing into the tent. "You're alive!" She stared at him with wet eyes. "When the mountain broke, I feared the worst. Then the Chief Minister returned alone…"

Dah-Boh-Bay looked at his friend with a smile and said, "Actually, it turns out that my name is Baron Dar."

May-Lah's eyes widened. "Not _The _Baron Dar, the son of the great Baron Unye?"

"Yeah," Dah-Boh-Bay said. "Actually, that used to be my name. Now I am King Dar. The name Dah-Boh-Bay doesn't seem to fit anymore."

May-Lah shook her head with a tearful smile. "So, I guess this is goodbye."

"Goodbye?" King Dar asked in surprise. "Why?"

"You are a king, and I am but a commoner..." May-Lah said

"I don't care," King Dar said. "I want you to come with me. I want you to be my queen. Will you, May-Lah, be my wife?"

"Yes!" May-Lah said with excitement and tears of joy in her eyes. She had always dreamed of this day. However, it had seemed so impossible. Now, he greatest dream had become a reality.

Then a frown crossed King Dar's face as he turned to the chief minister. "The one thing that I do not understand is, how in the world did I get signed up? I didn't do it!"

"I did," the ghostly furby said.

"Who are you?" King Dar asked curiously. "I owe you my life."

"Just call me a ghost from your youth," the furby said. "I wanted you to know the truth. I knew that you were the rightful king."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" King Dar asked.

"Forgive me, your majesty," the ghost said. "You were not ready."

"So, you signed me up to this mission so that I would become the furby that I was meant to be?" King Dar asked.

"Yes, sir," the ghost said. "Now, my task is done."

As he turned to leave, King Dar spoke up once more. "Wait. Why didn't you come to me as a kid? If you knew who I was the whole time…?"

"I tried," the ghost said. "Unfortunately, you were watched like a hawk. If you had ever left town, you would have been dead in a matter of seconds. The only way for me to be able to communicate with you was on the mountain. I tried to explain everything to you then, but…"

"I ran away," King Dar finished. "I know. How did you know who I was, anyways?"

"I took you from the servant, but was forced to leave you at an orphanage. It was the safest place for you at the moment. By the time Sir A-tah found out who you were, it was too difficult to get rid of you right away. Plus, it would have been rather conspicuous. I would have told the king everything a long time ago, but I was chased into that cursed mountain.

"It was the place where A-tah was born and raised. It's fitting that that is where he died."

"One last thing, where did you go?" King Dar asked. "You plunged off the cliff and disappeared."

"I managed to escape into a small passageway that I had made years before. I tried to go after you, but was too slow. I'm afraid that it was I who caused the great explosion. There was no other way to save you and defeat A-tah. Plus, it was a cursed place…"

"You keep saying that!" King Dar interrupted. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," the ghost said. "I mean, nothing that you should ever know. So much horrible stuff has been committed on that mountain, and it is becoming more and more infested with dragons. It had to be removed, and its horrible shadow removed from Furbyland."

"I see," King Dar said. "Well, how about this Ghost? You join me, and become my right-hand furby. I could use someone with your loyalty and skill. What do you say?"

The ghost nodded, and the three furbys walked out of the tent together, and to the Castle of Furbyland.


End file.
